Books with author Mike Phillips

Many people want to grow fruit on a small scale but lack the insight to be successful orchardists. Growing tree fruits and berries is something virtually anyone with space and passionate desire can do - given wise guidance and a personal commitment to observe the teachings of the trees. A holistic grower knows that producing fruit is not about manipulating nature but more importantly, fostering nature. Orcharding then becomes a fascinating adventure sure to provide your family with all sorts of mouth-watering fruit.The Holistic Orchard demystifies the basic skills everybody should know about the inner-workings of the orchard ecosystem, as well as orchard design, soil biology, and organic health management. Detailed insights on grafting, planting, pruning, and choosing the right varieties for your climate are also included, along with a step-by-step instructional calendar to guide growers through the entire orchard year. The extensive profiles of pome fruits (apples, pears, asian pears, quinces), stone fruits (cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums), and berries (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, and elderberries) will quickly have you savoring the prospects.Phillips completely changed the conversation about healthy orcharding with his first bestselling book, The Apple Grower, and now he takes that dialogue even further, drawing connections between home orcharding and permaculture; the importance of native pollinators; the world of understory plantings with shade-tolerant berry bushes and other insectary plants; detailed information on cover crops and biodiversity; and the newest research on safe, homegrown solutions to pest and disease challenges.All along the way, Phillips' expertise and enthusiasm for healthy growing shines through, as does his ability to put the usual horticultural facts into an integrated ecology perspective. This book will inspire beginners as well as provide deeper answers for experienced fruit growers looking for scientific organic approaches. Exciting times lie ahead for those who now have every reason in the world to confidently plant that very first fruit tree!

Stella Radney, longtime lounge singer, still has a bullet lodged in her hip from the night when a rain of gunshots killed her husband. That was twenty years ago and it’s a surprise when the unsolved murder is reopened after the district attorney discovers new evidence. Royal Atkins is a convicted killer who just got out of prison on a legal technicality. At first, he’s thinking he’ll play it straight. Doesn’t take long before that plan turns to smoke—was it ever really an option? When Stella and Royal meet one night, they’re drawn to each other. But Royal has a secret. How long before Stella discovers that the man she’s falling for isn’t who he seems? A noir of gripping suspense and violence, Know Me from Smoke is a journey into the shadowy terrain of murder, lost love, and the heart’s lust for vengeance.Praise for Know Me From Smoke: "Two great characters here in Stella and Royal. Couple that with a psychotic villain and a grudge-bearing cop, and you're gonna be hooked til the end. Happy endings? Well, maybe..." - Paul Heatley, author of The Runner, FatBoy, and An Eye for an Eye“A beautifully written, brutal & brilliant slice of hardboiled crime fiction. A Knockout.” – Paul D. Brazill, author of Last Years’s Man and A Case Of Noir.

"She has followed orders, but no one could have foreseen the perils she faces...."Pursued as a Union spy within Confederate territory, Corrie Belle Hollister's desperate attempt to escape on horseback was cut short by an explosion of sound. The pain from the deadly bullet lasted only a moment--followed by numbness. Then nothingness as blackness overcame the light . . .As she awakens from unconsciousness, she finds herself in the care of an elderly man and a young man who, like Corrie, is attempting to determine what to do next with his life. With his help, she recovers from amnesia and is able to go on to aid the Union cause in the Civil War. But will Corrie discover the answers to life's most important questions . . . at the convent, in her writing, in the service of President Lincoln? Through a sequence of dramatic events, Corrie learns more about God's goodness and faithfulness.

A stunning city guide with all the gruesome bits left in! Shudder as Terry Deary takes you on a gore-tastic tour of the streets of Edinburgh, exposing all its scurrilous secrets! Climb up the cursed castle! Hit the High Street for a host of historical horrors! Find out whose pickled skin became a sought-after souvenir! Visit hellish Holyrood House! With kidnapped kings, mysterious murders and reckless raids galore, it's a trip you simply daren't miss!

For thousands of readers, Michael Phillips has expertly illustrated the grim realities and spiritual challenges of World War II and its aftermath in the first two volumes of The Secret of the Rose series. Imprisoned years before by the Nazis for his Jewish sympathies, Baron von Dortmann has now been rescued by his daughter Sabina. Events take a climatic turn in Escape to Freedom as the two―along with American ally Matthew McCallum―desperately elude their pursuers and seek a way out of Communist Germany. But paralleled with these years of trial is the strength of this family's courageous faith in God's steadfast care.

A witty whistle-stop tour of York's foul but fascinating history - complete with deadly diseases, vicious Vikings and creepy criminals like Dick Turpin and Guy Fawkes! A frightful map lets you plot your path into the perilous past, meeting at the Minster, ambling through the blood-soaked Shambles and then climbing up to Micklegate - where so many traitors headed off. Perilous plagues, horrendous highwaymen and angry invaders. It's where York gets seriously yucky!

Shudder at the savage story of Dublin, brimming with blood-soaked battles and riotous rebellions. Terry Deary reveals the horrible history of the great Irish city, from the blood-dripping battle of Clontarf to the risings and rebellions of the twentieth century. Find out why the mayor of Dublin put his Mum in prison, picnic with pirates at St Stephen's Green, creep around cruel cathedrals and then head to dreadful Dublin castle. Torture, traitors and cut-throat Irish chieftains - it's a trip you simply daren't miss!

A jolly jaunt around the town where Shakespeare was born! Stratford-upon-Avon may be a cute tourist town today - but its history is far from pleasant, with fatal fleabites, bloody battles and brutal beheadings to see! In this gruesome city guide, Terry Deary takes you on a gore-tastic tour of the streets of Stratford-upon-Avon, exposing all of its most scurrilous secrets. Discover the rules of the Olympic sport of shin-kicking! Find out why locals like to lob cheese in the river! Learn which of Shakespeare's characters was baked in a pie! Plot your path to the past with the frightful map, and pay your respects at the brilliant Bard's grave. Then brave the horrors of spooky Sheep Street - home of an awful axeman, a weird witch and possibly the most haunted house in England!

Originally published as a section of the author’s larger “Conversations in Early American History: 1492-1763,” this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 60 pages, clearly explains, in easy-to-follow question-and-answer format, the key events of American history from Christopher Columbus’s discovery of the New World (1492) to the signing of the treaty that ended the French and Indian War (1763).CONTENTS1. Christopher Columbus2. Jamestown3. The House of Burgesses4. The Pilgrims5. Bacon’s Rebellion6. The Salem Witch Trials7. The Thirteen Colonies8. The French and Indian WarSample passage:How did the French and Indian War start?The French wanted to expand their territory southward from Canada and the Great Lakes. At the same time, the British wanted to expand their territory westward, beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Each country believed it had the right to that land. The French expanded first, and set up a line of forts and trading posts between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River.What did the colonists do?In 1753 the governor of the Virginia colony sent George Washington to one of the French forts—one near where Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is today—to tell the French that they should leave because England really had rights to that land.George Washington? The same one who would become the first American President?Right. But at that time Washington was only twenty-one years old.And Washington simply asked them to leave? There was no fighting?Right. Washington asked them to leave, but the French refused.What happened?When Washington told Virginia’s governor that the French wouldn’t leave, the governor told Washington to go back with a group of soldiers and force the French to leave.About the Author:Mark Phillips has taught at Northwestern University and has worked as an editor in the publishing field for over 35 years. He is the author of 11 books on various subjects, including history, music, grammar, and vocabulary building.